When starting this process, perhaps you’re super excited and optimistic. The idea of picking the perfect song to match your dream solo act seems like the creative process you’ve been craving. You start searching and things go one of two ways – you come upon something right away that you love OR you end up going down an unending rabbit hole. Maybe you listened to a million songs that don’t quite do it for you or you get overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite amount of music. Without any requirements, the job of picking one song is too ambiguous. When the world is your oyster, sometimes getting specific becomes difficult.
Have you ever watched Say Yes To The Dress? For those of you who haven’t, it’s a reality show where brides go through the process of finding their dream dress complete with all of the drama that comes with it. It’s a guilty tv-binge-watching pleasure that begins each episode with a bride-to-be filled with excitement, optimism and varying of levels of expectation. Some have meticulously studied every bridal magazine and show up knowing the exact dress they want to try. Others prefer the mermaid style over a ball gown, off-white over bright white, lace over silk or conservative over sexy. Then there’s the women who have absolutely no clue walking in. The pressure for perfection is high and the choices are vast. Inevitably, in every episode the cheerful brides quickly melt into emotional puddles filled with anxiety and insecurity which makes for damned good TV. There’s just too many choices or maybe the “it” dress in the magazine was just all wrong for them. They discover that the Greek goddess draping silk gown does nothing for their figure because it turns out that their body needs a more structured dress or that their dream ball gown makes them look more like a cotton ball than a princess. In twenty minutes, they’ve gone from having a full proof plan to starting from scratch. The process is unexpectedly deflating and emotional because it pokes and prods at the perceptions we have about our idea of perfection and how we see ourselves. At the end, the consultants come in to save the day by matching the brides’ underlying wants and needs to their assets to get the flattering picture they want on an inevitable happy TV ending.
Choosing a good song for a silks act can either be a dramatic downward spiral of heartbreak or you can go in with some structure and realistic expectations. This hunt should have requirements that will help you narrow down your search to get you off the hamster wheel you may currently be on. It’s 2019 and there’s so much more music out there than there was ten years ago. Although it’s always great to pick music that speaks to you, sometimes following your heart isn’t always helpful especially when you’re overwhelmed with choices. If you start by examining you goals, abilities and preferences, you’ll have something to start with. Here’s a brainstorming checklist to get you on your way.
Ask yourself…
What are my goals for this act? __________
Perhaps it’s just to get up there and perform in front of your friends and family or you may have specific goals like aiming for a big drop at the end when you’re already fatigued or showing off your flexibility. Whatever it is, write it down and keep it in mind.
What tricks do I want to perform? How many do I want to do? __________
Make a list of the skills you already feel comfortable with and what your ideal program order may be. Mentally and physically, play and shuffle around the skills you know to figure out how they might fit together.
Do I like instrumental music or lyrics? ___________
Instrumental music tends to have a more theatrical feel while songs with lyrics can be all over the place. On one end, pop music can feel a bit bubble gum but on the other, many tunes with lyrics can be deep, emotional and grounded. Either can work, it just depends on what you gravitate towards. Simply put, what is your preference? Answer the question and go down that rabbit hole.
Do I want to act out a theatrical character? ___________
Are you excited to do an entire act as a frog in a full body green unitard doing creature like movement? (If you do, please film it and send it to me because that would be awesome!) For real, if that’s what you want, then your music choices have just become very specific. Perhaps your character idea is less demonstrative and more emotional. When listening, make sure that the imaginary character could play well with the song that you ultimately choose.
What is my movement quality like? __________
Are you naturally methodical in your movement, enjoying the space and time you create? Or do you instinctively move with some aggression and power? What feeling do you want your audience to walk away with after watching you? Aim to match the movement quality that you have or choose to perform with the song choice.
Do I enjoy aggressive or smooth music? __________
What kind of tunes do you like to jam to? Think over what kind of music you are drawn to and go down that path.
With all this in mind, let’s add musical structure to the conversation.
Paying attention to how music is composed helps narrow the field because it automatically takes songs out of the running. Structurally, if they don’t work for what your ultimate goals are, they’re easy to eliminate. For example, if your goal is to highlight flexibility, it wouldn’t behoove you to choose a high tempo song that doesn’t allow for holding positions. Instead, look for a tune that has some space in it that would work better. If you’re planning to do a series of drops, it would suit you to find something with accents, crashes and pauses to feature those drops.
Composition
Regardless of style, mood and tone, it’s really tough to do a silks act to music that is flat or in other words, a song that doesn’t go anywhere. It places the pressure on the choreography and the performer to create ALL of the texture in the act. Listen for peaks and valleys, accents, pauses and a general diversity in texture. Texture can come in many forms whether it’s the singer’s voice, the type of instruments, changes in tempo or direction, etc. If you listen to a tune and the words that pop up in your mind are monotone, flat or repetitive, move on to the next song. You might even really like the song to sing to in the shower or jam to in the car but easy listening and finding a performable song are two different things. There are a great number of songs that I absolutely love but have no business accompanying me for a silks act. Aim for the words, dramatic, dynamic, melodic, climactic and emotional while searching. Imagine watching someone else you are not attached to perform to the same song and ask yourself if you are still into it? Is the song structure inherently interesting?
Tempo matters
No matter what, you need to keep up with the song. Moving super slow to a fast paced song is a strong choice and generally doesn’t translate to your audience. I’m all for working outside of the box, but that challenge may be better suited to an advanced program that aspires to push the boundaries of what art is. Silks isn’t the same as dancing on the ground where you can move as fast as your heart desires. We need to wrap foot locks, set up drops and transition in and out of skills and all of that takes time. As you get more advanced, your transitions will quicken and you’ll be able to manage faster music. If you’re a beginner to intermediate silks student and are just aiming to push your own boundaries, you’re going to want to stay in the slow to medium pace range. It will allow you to stay on top of the tempo instead of chasing after it for 3-4 minutes.
Length does too
It’s counter intuitive but if you’re a beginner, picking a short song (2-3 minutes) will make your life more difficult instead of easier. It will force you to perform a quick routine. A double foot lock can take 30-45 seconds to wrap depending on your level which may only leave 2 minutes if you’re working with a short song. Everyone is at a different place in his or her practice, imagine what your wraps feel like when you’re practicing and keep this in mind when listening to music. Generally I recommend aiming for a 3 1/2-4 minute song.
The ending
When auditioning songs, listen to how they end because it will determine what tricks will work. If it climaxes 3/4’s into the song then softly dissapates, you’ll want to follow its direction by climaxing when it does and softly ending. If it comes to it’s height with a bang at the end, you’ll probably want to time a drop to end with it. If you already know you want to end with a double star, eliminate songs that end softly.
Picking a song for an act can be much harder than you ever thought. Not unlike choosing a dream wedding dress, this process can bring up emotions of anxiety and insecurity and can challenge what we think of ourselves. As I watch my students go through this process every year at performance time, I am reminded that making art, especially art that is centered around us and our own bodies, challenges and teaches us in the most unexpected ways. Go in knowing that it’s a process and that it’s a worthwhile one. Every chance you get to figure out what your art is, is an incredible opportunity. Happy hunting!